The Chicago Blackhawks finished in 31st place in 2024-25. Whenever a season ends like that, whether by design or not, changes to the roster are on the horizon.
A handful of veterans will be retained in Chicago, and some talent may be brought in over the summer. For the most part, however, this will be a team mostly built on youth.
There is the possibility that player buy-outs are there to escape Chicago from any player that they want to remove from their books. It comes at a price, but teams do it all the time to make room. Sometimes, it is money-driven. In other cases, it is because the player no longer fits in from a hockey perspective.
The buyout window opens on Friday, June 20th. Plenty of teams are going to shed some salary from their overall cap.
Chicago is leading the way with TJ Brodie. He is the face of the buyout window this year, as many expect him to be bought out right away. The Blackhawks have plenty of cap room, and they are going to have even more following this move.
If Brodie were bought out, the Blackhawks would have two years of buyout penalty. The first year would be $3.23 million, and the second would be $258K. If they kept him, they’d have him for one more year at $3.75 million
It is also clear that there is not a hockey need for Brodie anymore. On defense, young talents like Artyom Levshunov, Louis Crevier, Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Sam Rinzel, and Kevin Korchinski all played at different points during the season.
They also have a veteran like Connor Murphy still there, and more youth on the way. It’s a good problem to have for an NHL team, but they may even need to trade a young asset to make room.
Despite the tough season in Chicago, Brodie should be able to find work if he does get bought out. There will be teams looking for defensemen all across the league. At worst, he will get a two-way contract or a PTO during training camp.
The only other Blackhawks player that may make sense to buy out is Joe Veleno. His buyout wouldn’t be as harsh because of his age/salary, which makes it possible, but they do need players to have in the lineup come opening night.
The buyout penalty for Veleno would be for two years. Year one would be $796K, and the second year would be $296K. Whether or not a move like this should happen is debatable, but only Kyle Davidson knows exactly how he wants the team to line up in 2025-26.
When the window opens, a handful of teams will make moves. Will the Blackhawks consider any of the players let go? That will depend on the player, his position, and the philosophy of the organization going into the summer.
Brodie, as mentioned before, became unplayable by the end of the season. Letting him go is worth it for that reason alone, which is why he is the top 2025 buyout candidate in the NHL.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
Read the full article here
